The video of the uncomfortable interview went viral on Reddit, with users weighing in on how they thought the TV host should have handled the situation. Hamilton stands by his decision not to say the term.

"Whatever the video's doing today, making the rounds, it's not as bad as it would be if I had actually said it," he told Entertainment Weekly. "The last thing that my affiliate needs is one of their reporters going around saying the N-word and broadcasting it everywhere."